San Diego Wave FC are the front-runners to sign Catarina Macario from Chelsea, multiple sources have confirmed to ESPN. The 26-year-old U.S. international will be out of contract this summer, and while no deal is signed, negotiations are advanced. Macario has received offers from European clubs including Barcelona, but sources say her preference is to return to the United States.

Personal factors and the opportunity to play in the NWSL for the first time are driving Macario's decision. The move would bring her back to Southern California, where she grew up after moving from Brazil at age 12. The Wave train adjacent to the fields where her youth club, the San Diego Surf, still plays. Macario starred at nearby Stanford University before turning professional with Lyon in 2020.

Macario has scored 16 goals in 29 appearances for the USWNT since becoming eligible in 2020, with eight coming in 10 games last year. She joined Chelsea in 2023 but has battled injuries, including a 20-month absence due to an ACL tear. Sources told ESPN that Macario rejected a contract extension offer from Chelsea, and she was surprisingly left out of their Champions League squad in January due to injury.